


I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always

by thatoldeblackmagic



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: And a Hug, Fluff and Angst, Gen, King Dad needs a vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 18:49:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13840836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoldeblackmagic/pseuds/thatoldeblackmagic
Summary: Noctis is asleep for the night when Regis first hears that his son is destined to die.The previous kings summon him, pull on his mind with the crystal’s magic, and tell him that his five year old boy is the chosen one who will save Eos at the cost of his life.  Regis looks into the blank, spectral eyes of his father and finds no comfort there.  He finds no sadness either, nothing but otherworldly emptiness and Regis wonders if he’ll be seeing Noctis here next, if fate will call his son to die before he does.  It takes all Regis has not to throw something, not to scream and curse the Astrals who have been sleeping for thousands of years, and now force his son to pay the price.





	I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always

Noctis is asleep for the night when Regis first hears that his son is destined to die.

The previous kings summon him, pull on his mind with the crystal’s magic, and tell him that his five year old boy is the chosen one who will save Eos at the cost of his life. Regis looks into the blank, spectral eyes of his father and finds no comfort there. He finds no sadness either, nothing but otherworldly emptiness and Regis wonders if he’ll be seeing Noctis here next, if fate will call his son to die before he does. It takes all Regis has not to throw something, not to scream and curse the Astrals who have been sleeping for thousands of years, and now force his son to pay the price. But he knows, if Regis knows one thing only, he knows that this is what they’ve been waiting for; been working for. One hundred and thirteen kings with magic in their veins and the gods on their side, counting on a boy of five. 

Regis’ boy who demanded a second bedtime story less than an hour ago. Little Noctis whose feet can’t touch the floor when he’s sitting on the kitchen chair, and still refuses to eat his broccoli no matter how many times he’s assured it will help him get taller. Aulea’s son, who looks so much like her that sometimes it leaves Regis winded.

Only through years of sternly taught self control does Regis manage to remain neutral until the last ethereal wisp of kings past disappears from the throne room. Somehow, he’s able to keep his composure even as he reaches Noctis’ door which is left half-open since Noctis gets too scared to sleep when it’s closed. The hall light shows his sleeping boy curled up around a stuffed coeurl, with the covers pulled all the way up to his nose, and Carbuncle nearby to sweeten his dreams. 

Regis almost breaks. All he wants is to hold Noctis, to wrap his son tightly in his arms and never ever let anything hurt him. Maybe Regis can take him away from Insomnia, send him to live in Altissia with Weskham or even just down the road with Cid. Maybe he can pour money into researching the cure for Starscourge and accomplish what no one has been able to do for 2000 years. Maybe he can track down this immortal Accursed, fit them with lead boots, and toss them into the deepest ocean trench, letting the crushing pressure and pitch blackness wear them down to dust.

Maybe. But probably not.

Because Regis knows that this is what they’ve been waiting for. All of the Kings, and all of the gods, and all of the people in this crumbling, war-torn land. 

Noctis is what they’ve been anticipating, not him. Regis is just one, single, insignificant man who is too selfish to give up his son, and too weak to do anything about it. 

How much time is left before the prophecy calls Noctis to his fate? Ten years? Twenty? Gods, Regis can’t just stand here, half in the doorway. He knows he shouldn’t wake Noctis, but if he goes another second without his son in his arms, he may very well head back to the throne room and take a baseball bat to that damned crystal.

No one is watching him anymore, no long dead eyes seek out the cracks in his facade, so Regis lets himself be. He half-runs to get to Noct’s bedside and begins to card his fingers through his son’s silky soft hair, leans down to press a gentle kiss to the small sliver of exposed forehead. Noctis lets out a soft, sleepy sound that makes Regis smile for what feels like the first time in years. 

Slowly, Noct’s face peeks out from under the comforter and his eyes blearily blink open. “Daddy?” Noct says with a yawn. He pushes himself further up to better face Regis. “Is’t time to getup?” 

“No, dear heart. It’s still night time, go back to sleep.” Regis replies, just before leaning in to press another quick kiss to Noct’s forehead. When he pulls back, he finds that Noctis is giving him a considering look, still tinged with sleep, but with enough thought that a small crease has formed between his brows.

Noctis tilts his head and asks, “Did you have a bad dream?”

Regis can feel his heart swell near to bursting. “Yes, my son. A very scary one.” 

With a small frown, Noctis sits up fully and scoots over to allow enough room for Regis to sit on the bed next to him. Regis takes the invitation and almost immediately, Noct clambers up into his lap. “I’ll tell you a story,” little Noctis says, as he leans his weight into Regis’ chest.

Then Noctis talks. It’s a bit hard to hear what he’s saying between his sleepy mumbling and the way his face is half pressed into Regis’ shoulder. Regis vaguely understands something about Ignis, a manticore, and possibly a plum tree, but he is soothed nonetheless. His face is lightly pressed into Noct’s hair with one arm wrapped around his son for support, and the other resting on Noct’s knees with his hand balled into a fist. It’s part of a game they play, where Noctis will try to pry up each of his fingers, one by one, until his hand is laying palm up at which point Regis will close his fist again, trying to catch Noct’s hand in the process. Noctis has managed to pry up three fingers when he starts to drift.

The story has become less of a cohesive unit (if it ever was), and more of a jumble of words that make less and less sense. Regis chuckles and says, “Thank you for the story my dear heart, but I think it’s about time we both get to bed.”

Noctis lets out a yawn and settles into Regis’ lap even further. “M’kay. G’night” And just like that, he’s fast asleep. 

Regis looks down at the little miracle in his arms, and thinks that he must have done something very good in his past to deserve this level of trust, to be deserving of this child’s love. 

He wants to always be deserving, and so Regis decides to make a promise to himself. Through all their years, fates, and destinies, he will never let his goal to be a successful king prevent him from also being a good father. Noctis will grow up happy, Regis will make sure of it, even if he has to fight tooth and nail to keep his son safe in this unforgiving world. 

It’s a little hard to fathom the heavy weight that will one day be thrust upon his son’s shoulders when Noctis is small enough to curl up in his lap. Harder still when he can listen to his son’s breathing and feel the soft strands of Noct’s hair against his cheek. It won’t stay, Regis knows better than others that this peace won’t hold. Not when the world is full of prophecies, and magic, and terrible people fighting terrible wars. 

But, Regis thinks as he lets his eyes slide shut, at least for right now, they can have this.

**Author's Note:**

> au where where regis does break the crystal with a baseball bat and slugs bahamut in the face


End file.
